Honoring the life of Thomas "Tommy" Makem.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 768) honoring the life of Thomas ``Tommy'' Makem.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, Tommy Makem was one of the greatest Irish-American performers to ever grace the stage. Not only have his works inspired generations of artists, but his determination and success broke down barriers that had long been raised to Irish Americans. Tommy and the Clancy Brothers, with whom he played for many years, were instrumental in breaking down these cultural divides.

Tommy lived a truly remarkable life. He arrived in America in 1955 to pursue a career in acting, having just won the All-Ireland Championship in acting. Like so many immigrants before and after, Tommy arrived with very little, carrying with him only a makeshift suitcase, a pair of bagpipes and proof of his health. However, it did not take Tommy long to find a life in America.

In 1956, he joined with the Clancy Brothers--Patrick, Tom, Bobby and Liam--and they began performing together. In 1961, Tommy performed at the Newport Folk Festival and, along with Joan Baez, he was heralded as ``the most promising newcomer.'' In 1963, Tommy and the Clancy Brothers performed at the White House at the request of President Kennedy. They continued to perform together for years and played venues from Carnegie Hall to the Ed Sullivan Show, until Tommy embarked on a solo career in 1969. For decades, he continued to compose and perform. He would later reunite with the Clancy Brothers in 1988 for a reunion concert. In 1999, Tommy was awarded the World Folk Music Association's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Tommy was not just a musician, he was so much more. Tommy was an author, a philanthropist, a businessman, an inspiration and, most importantly, he was a loving father, grandfather and husband.

Tommy passed away earlier this year on August 1 in Dover, New Hampshire, where he lived for many years. He left behind a daughter, Katie Makem-Boucher, and two grandchildren, Molly Dickerman and Robert Boucher, and three sons, Shane, Conor and Rory, whom with his nephew, Tom Sweeney, continue the family folk music tradition. They will remember Tommy for the living man he was and for the impact he had on their lives.

Upon his passing, condolences streamed in from all over the country, as well as the world. The Makem family has said that while many talked about his music, most noted what a generous and kind man he was.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution and honor the life of a truly remarkable man, an immigrant who touched the lives of so many.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Does the gentleman from Louisiana have any further speakers?

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time.

I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 768, honoring the life of Thomas ``Tommy'' Makem. Makem was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller, best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked five string banjo, guitar, tin whistle, border pipes, and sang in a very distinctive baritone. He was sometimes known as the Godfather of Irish music.

The son of a successful Irish folk singer, Sarah Makem, Tommy Makem mesmerized audiences for more than four decades. He expanded and reshaped the boundaries of Irish culture and infused a pride and a quest for knowledge of Irish culture in countless others.

In 1955, Makem's ambition to become an actor took him to New York where, after a brief but rewarding career in live television and off- Broadway plays, he teamed up with the Clancy Brothers. They appeared on the ``Ed Sullivan Show,'' the ``Tonight Show'' and every major television network show in the United States. The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem played to audiences from New York's Carnegie Hall and London's Royal Albert Hall to every major concert venue in the English- speaking world.

In 1969, Tommy left the Clancy Brothers to pursue a solo career and immediately sold out Madison Square Garden in New York. His popularity soared, and he went on to three sold out concert tours in Australia, including Sydney's opera house.

By 1975, Makem had rejoined Liam Clancy of the Clancy Brothers. The duo worked together until 1988. Their collaboration garnered the pair an Emmy nomination, as well as several platinum and gold records.

Tommy Makem's music will live on forever. ``The Rambles of Spring,'' Farewell to Carlingford,'' ``Gentle Annie,'' ``The Winds Are Singing Freedom'' and, of course, ``Four Green Fields'' are all standards in the repertoire of folk singers around the world in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

I am very happy to join my good friend and colleague, Representative Shea-Porter, in honoring the life of Thomas ``Tommy'' Makem, and I ask my colleagues to support this resolution.

I reserve the balance of my time.

I have no other Members requesting time, and I'll be happy to yield back the balance of my time.